Abhishek Verma asked to appear in cheating-cum-defamation case

Businessman Abhishek Verma has been asked to appear before a Delhi court to record his pre-summoning evidence in a cheating-cum-defamation case lodged by him against his two partners, including an American national.

Metropolitan magistrate Surya Malik Grover issued the production warrant for producing Verma before it on March 8 as the businessman is in jail, along with his Romanian wife Anca Maria Neascu, for their alleged roles in corruption and forgery cases.

The warrant was issued as Verma could not appear before the court for further recording of his evidence.

Verma has not appeared in the court since he recorded part of his deposition in the case last year.

The court, which had on July 4, 2012 taken cognisance of Verma's complaint of cheating-cum-defamation against his US partner, had recorded pre-summoning evidence on October 31, 2012, before summoning accused in the case.

Verma had, in his complaint, alleged his US business partner C Edmonds Allen, an American attorney duly enrolled with the bar counsel at Virginia, and Delhi-based Arjun Arora had duped him of Rs 55 crore which was to be paid to him in return for his consultancy services to them.

Verma is also in judicial custody in a forgery case registered against him by CBI for allegedly writing a letter to the Prime Minister on a forged letterhead of the then Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken for easing of business visa norms in 2009.

He was granted bail as CBI had failed to file a charge sheet in the forgery case within the stipulated 60 days.

Verma was also granted bail on similar grounds earlier in a corruption case lodged against him and his wife for allegedly receiving $5,30,000 from Rheinmetall Air Defence AG for using their influence to stall the firm's blacklisting by the government here.

However, the couple are still in jail as they are yet to secure bail in a case registered by CBI under the Official Secrets Act.